PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHYDAMIAN BENNETTSTYLINGLIZ KAVANAGHDAMIAN BENNETTSTYLINGLIZ KAVANAGHFOOD PREPARATION AND RECIPE TESTINGDIXIE ELLIOTTFOOD PREPARATION AND RECIPE TESTINGDIXIE ELLIOTTTREACLE TART
Serves 8
1 tablespoon caster sugar
1⅓1⅓ cups golden syrup cups golden syrup
1½1½ cups coarse breadcrum cups coarse breadcrumbs bs
(m(made fromade from day-old bread) day-old bread)
⅓⅓ cup orange m cup orange marmarmaladealade
2 lem2 lemons, rind finely grated, juicedons, rind finely grated, juiced
1 egg, w1 egg, whiskedhisked
extra golden syrup, to serve (optional)extra golden syrup, to serve (optional)
thick creamthick cream, to serve, to serve
PA S T RY
4 cups plain flour
¼¼ teaspoon baking powder teaspoon baking powder
250g cold butter, diced250g cold butter, diced
1 cup sour cream1 cup sour creamTo mTo make pastry, comake pastry, combine flour and bine flour and
baking powder in a bowl. Using your baking powder in a bowl. Using your
fingertips, rub butter into flour until fingertips, rub butter into flour until
mmixture resemixture resembles breadcrumbles breadcrumbs. Stir bs. Stir
in sour creamin sour cream until just com until just combined. bined.
Shape dough into 2 discs, 1 slightly Shape dough into 2 discs, 1 slightly
larger. Wlarger. Wrap in plastic wrap. Place rap in plastic wrap. Place
in fridge for 30 min fridge for 30 minutes or until firminutes or until firm..
Grease a 25cmGrease a 25cm round fluted tart pan round fluted tart pan
with a remwith a removable base and dust with ovable base and dust with
caster sugar. Roll out larger pastry caster sugar. Roll out larger pastry
disc on a lightly floured surface until disc on a lightly floured surface until
3m3mmm thick and use to line prepared thick and use to line prepared
pan. Trimpan. Trim excess. Place in fridge for excess. Place in fridge for
20 m20 minutes to rest. inutes to rest.
MMeanwhile, place golden syrup in eanwhile, place golden syrup in
a ma mediumedium saucepan over a low heat for saucepan over a low heat for
2 m2 minutes or until warminutes or until warm and runny. and runny.
Do not boil. RemDo not boil. Remove fromove from heat. Add heat. Add
breadcrumbreadcrumbs, mbs, marmarmalade, lemalade, lemon on
rind and ½rind and ½ cup of lem cup of lemon juice, and on juice, and
stir until well comstir until well combined. bined.
Preheat oven to 180°C. Roll out Preheat oven to 180°C. Roll out
remremaining pastry until 3maining pastry until 3mmm thick. thick.
Cut into 1.5cmCut into 1.5cm-wide strips. Spoon -wide strips. Spoon
golden syrup mgolden syrup mixture into pastry ixture into pastry
case, spreading evenly. Brush edges of case, spreading evenly. Brush edges of
pastry case with egg. Arrange pastry pastry case with egg. Arrange pastry
strips over tart, weaving themstrips over tart, weaving them over over
and under to formand under to form a lattice pattern. a lattice pattern.
Gently press pastry strips to edge Gently press pastry strips to edge
of pastry case and trimof pastry case and trim. Place in. Place in
fridge for 30 mfridge for 30 minutes to rest. inutes to rest.
Brush pastry lattice with egg. Brush pastry lattice with egg.
Bake tart for 40–45 mBake tart for 40–45 minutes or until inutes or until
pastry is golden and crisp. Stand for pastry is golden and crisp. Stand for
10 m10 minutes. Transfer tart to a serving inutes. Transfer tart to a serving
platter and drizzle with a little extra platter and drizzle with a little extra
syrup, if desired. Serve with creamsyrup, if desired. Serve with cream..AN OLD-FASHAN OLD-FASHIONED TREACLE IONED TREACLE
TART STILL HTART STILL HAS PLENTY OF AS PLENTY OF
APPEAL, SAYS STEVE CUMAPPEAL, SAYS STEVE CUMPER.PER.
P H OTO G R A P H YP H OTO G R A P H Y B BRRE TE TT S TT S TEEVVEENNSS S T Y L I N G S T Y L I N G DDAVAVI DI D M MOORRGGAANN
golden oldie
DO YOU EVER wonder what it would be like eating a pudding that people
enjoyed menjoyed more than 100 years ago? I do and several sweet treats spring to more than 100 years ago? I do and several sweet treats spring to mind ind
—— Victoria sponge, spotted dick and jam Victoria sponge, spotted dick and jam fancies. No list would be com fancies. No list would be complete, plete,
however, without that mhowever, without that most venerable of British puddings, the treacle tart.ost venerable of British puddings, the treacle tart.
MMy grandmy grandmother, Gramother, Grammma Alvina, lauded in ma Alvina, lauded in my previous columy previous columns for her ns for her
prowess at mprowess at making apple pie and her ability to balance a smaking apple pie and her ability to balance a smoldering rollie on oldering rollie on
her lips while working the pastry, used to bake it occasionally. She always her lips while working the pastry, used to bake it occasionally. She always
mmanaged to sneak a little ‘Alvina managed to sneak a little ‘Alvina magic’ into her efforts and, in this case, she agic’ into her efforts and, in this case, she
would add a pinch of baking powder to the pastry. Too young to comwould add a pinch of baking powder to the pastry. Too young to comprehend prehend
the chemthe chemistry, I agreed with contented mistry, I agreed with contented mouthfuls that she had an intuitive outhfuls that she had an intuitive
lightness of touch when it camlightness of touch when it came to me to making pastry. Nevertheless, Gramaking pastry. Nevertheless, Grammma’s a’s
treacle tart was a triumtreacle tart was a triumph, as she balanced the crumph, as she balanced the crumbly texture of the filling bly texture of the filling
with a sturdy outer shell that fractured easily with a gentle nudge fromwith a sturdy outer shell that fractured easily with a gentle nudge from a spoon. a spoon.
For years, GramFor years, Grammma Alvina’s treacle tart was ma Alvina’s treacle tart was my benchmy benchmark and the thought ark and the thought
of not being able to produce a tart of this calibre thwarted any attemof not being able to produce a tart of this calibre thwarted any attempts to pts to
mmake it. It wasn’t until fairly recently that I gave it a crack and featured the ake it. It wasn’t until fairly recently that I gave it a crack and featured the
esteemesteemed tart on the sideboard of daily cake offerings in the café. To med tart on the sideboard of daily cake offerings in the café. To my y
surprise and relief, it looked and tasted great. And, msurprise and relief, it looked and tasted great. And, more imore importantly perhaps, portantly perhaps,
it sold briskly and people even asked when they could expect it again. it sold briskly and people even asked when they could expect it again.
I learnt two lessons fromI learnt two lessons from this exercise. Firstly, food fashions com this exercise. Firstly, food fashions come and go but e and go but
classics will always remclassics will always remain, and secondly, a simain, and secondly, a simple tart done well is a perennial ple tart done well is a perennial
favourite. So the treacle tart began to mfavourite. So the treacle tart began to make regular appearances under the ake regular appearances under the
heavy glass domheavy glass domes on the cake counter, while I tried to balance satisfying es on the cake counter, while I tried to balance satisfying
mmy customy customers’ requests for it with keeping demers’ requests for it with keeping demand alive by featuring it and alive by featuring it
sporadically. (Wsporadically. (With this admith this admission I’ve given you, dear reader, a brief ission I’ve given you, dear reader, a brief
insight into the dark arts of the cake display. Hinsight into the dark arts of the cake display. However, in mowever, in my case y case
it’s mit’s more prudence prevailing than More prudence prevailing than Machiavellian machiavellian mischievousness!)ischievousness!)
So what is the secret to the enduring popularity of the treacle So what is the secret to the enduring popularity of the treacle
tart? Personally, I love the simtart? Personally, I love the simplicity of it: pastry, sweet filling and plicity of it: pastry, sweet filling and
a cruma crumbly texture. All it needs is a good dollop of heavy creambly texture. All it needs is a good dollop of heavy cream with with
which to enjoy it. Hwhich to enjoy it. However, I do find the traditional treacle tart owever, I do find the traditional treacle tart
a tad sweet, which is why ma tad sweet, which is why my recipe includes orange my recipe includes orange marmarmalade alade
(although any citrus m(although any citrus marmarmalade will do). The malade will do). The marmarmalade counters alade counters
the cloying sweetness of the golden syrup, the mthe cloying sweetness of the golden syrup, the main ingredient ain ingredient
in the filling. The funny thing is, min the filling. The funny thing is, my emy embellishmbellishment is actually ent is actually
a throwback to the tart’s first incarnations, where ma throwback to the tart’s first incarnations, where marmarmalade was alade was
somsometimetimes substituted for golden syrup if the tin was emes substituted for golden syrup if the tin was empty. It’s pty. It’s
incredible to think that this recipe has changed so little since the incredible to think that this recipe has changed so little since the
late 1800s that people of Victorian timlate 1800s that people of Victorian times would instantly recognise es would instantly recognise
the treacle tart we enjoy today. Now that’s somthe treacle tart we enjoy today. Now that’s something to ponder. ething to ponder.
Steve CumSteve Cumper is a chef and funnymper is a chef and funnyman who lives in Tasman who lives in Tasmania ania
and dreamand dreams of one day owning a f leet of holiday vans s of one day owning a f leet of holiday vans
called Wcalled Wicked Cumicked Cumpers.pers.